The Anthem Philatelist

  I've collecting stamps of Philippine Presidents since I was a young boy. My favorite then was the stamp of former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos . Another favorite to collect was President Cory Aquino . Never would have I imagined that I will someday be collecting his son, our current President - Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos . Now, he is one of my fave to collect! The stamp above was given to me my wife's closest friend since childhood- Lindy R.G. Thank you Linds! Ferdinand " Bongbong " Romualdez Marcos Jr., commonly referred to by the initials PBBM or BBM , is a Filipino politician who is the 17th and current president of the Philippines . Marcos is also the secretary of agriculture , holding the post in concurrent capacity. He previously served as a senator from 2010 to 2016.  He is the second child and only son of 10th president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos .

  Francisco "Kikoy" Miranda Morelos (2 Apr 1900- 17 Aug 1994) Educator, prolific writer and columnist of the post war (1947) Republic Daily and The Freeman covering political and social issues and events.  Here he writes about the 1977 National Referendum and the wedding of his nephew Don Morales (son of Avelino Morales , his wife's elder brother) with Grace Con-ui and the meeting of two political giants who were at that time adversaries but for familial love , stood as godparents- Mayor Eulogio Borres and Governor  Eddie Gullas .       Wedding of Avelino "Don" Morales, Jr. and Grace Con-ui in 1977. Principal Sponsors: Cebu Governor Eduardo Gullas, Cebu City Mayor Eulogio Borres, Beatriz Derecho, and Esperanza Racaza.   Lolo Kikoy is seated at extreme right talking to Gov. Gullas and Mayor Borres.     The young Avelino "Don" Morales Jr. with family driver Inting (1957)   The 1977 National Referendum   I can concede that ...

For several years I was deep into photography. I delved into all sorts- landscape, portrait, night, macro but my favorite kind was travel photography.  So I wasn’t really into realist paintings thinking that photography was superior in this regard.  My types of paintings were Impressionism and Cubism- if something looks realistic, it doesn't tickle my fancy. Until one day I saw what I thought was a photograph- but  it was a actually a painting.  I was impressed! This type of painting is called hyperrealism. Hyperrealism is a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph and is  considered an advancement of photorealism by the methods used to create the resulting paintings or sculptures. It takes technical art to the highest level. The term is primarily applied to an independent art movement and art style in the United States and Europe that has developed since the early 1970s. Carole Feuerman is considered the forerunner...

  Watch this video of color blind artist Celso Pepito who created Pinagbayloay (Barter), a painting on the golden past of Cebu as a center of trade of South East Asia in 1521. The artwork can be at the 7th floor of Palm Grass Hotel in Lapu-Lapu City .  This video is created by Hong-Kong based Asia Pacific Focus Features Prospero Laput.

 Thank you Emmanuel B. Villaruel and the Freeman .  click  here to view online article  CEBU, Philippines — Good things come to those who wait. This proved true for Cebuano gastroenterologist Vicente “Inting” Avanzado, Jr., who had long been wanting to personally meet his boxing idol Manny Pacquiao. His first best chance came after Pacquiao’s brutal and bloody ring war against Puerto Rican great Antonio Margarito on November 14, 2000 before a delighted crowd of 41,734 at the sprawling Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA. Delivering a spectacular performance in a blockbuster showdown billed as “The Eighth Wonder of the World,” Pacquiao dominated the bigger but slower Margarito to win the WBC super welterweight championship via a lopsided unanimous decision over 12 grueling rounds. Pacquiao, then 30 years old and congressman of Sarangani Province, prevailed round after round, opening a cut on Margarito’s cheek, closing his right eye,...

   "A new song, a soulful chant or a simple melody hark back to the senses the obscured movements of nature – the frolicking growth of a bud to a flower, the enthusiastic flow of a forgotten river, the murmurs at the thick of the wilderness where two artists as lovers pause to listen to the humming of indiscernible words, as they imagine better worlds spared from the uncertainties of the present precarious times. In “ Honi ug Banika ”, Cebuano artist-couple Celso Pepito and Fe Madrid bring out their works in a wilderness of hope with this exhibition of recent works made during the grueling period of community quarantine. “ Honi ug Banika ” which translates as ‘melody and nature’ is the couples’ way of contemplation, a necessary exercise of creativity and spirituality that lays open a course of redemptive action amidst the impasse of the pandemic ."       Self Mastery 2021   Mixed Media          ...

John Dinglasa is one of the member of the notable Dinglasa clan of visual artists consisting of cousins and siblings from Samboan , Cebu which includes Jess Dinglasa , Reynan Dingal , Mimit Carredo , Julieto Angana and his six-year-old son Jian Kenshin, Adonis Bilocura, Hemernio Dinglasa Jr., John Louie Dinglasa, Roel Fisalbon and Alfred Fuentes . After Odette, Acrylic on canvas, 24"x 30", 2022 They were discovered by Cebu Artists Inc . (CAI) members when they conducted an outreach program—a painting workshop in Samboan in 2005. The young Dinglasa came out as the grand prize winner in one of the on-the-spot painting competition organized by the group. Since then, these homegrown artists have been participating in CAI activities, exhibiting their natural artistic capabilities as none of them has had formal art schooling. Although exposed to the conservative vein of painting, Dinglasa paints with his heart as he interprets the scenic beauty of his community. Concerne...